World Heroes Anthology

Back in the 1990s, the Neo Geo was console gaming's answer to arcade machines. If it was big, bold and ate through money like a starving moth, a Neo Geo version would follow, usually for an equally unthrifty sum. In that era, arcade conversions were all the rage, and if it was worth playing, it usually came from SNK.

Sadly, World Heroes was the glaring exception, and this PS2 compilation of the series is no better. The game showcases the usual array of characters, including the lithe and overly endowed female character, the morbidly obese slow moving wrestler, a martial arts expert and a few other clichés. In the first World Heroes games, these characters all handle like a hippo on roller-skates. Early beat-‘em-up games tend to be 'solid' when it comes to gameplay and speed, but World Heroes I and II are merely arthritis- or carpel tunnel syndrome-inducing button-mashing.

Even if you are a nostalgic Heroes fan, you will have discarded those first two in favour of either World Heroes Jet or (getting bonus points for ironic naming) World Heroes Perfect. While both games have improved speed, the feeling of control is no better, and some of the moves are vastly superior to others.  As a result, play often reduces to pulling off the same attack over and over until your opponent is eventually slain. The AI feels cheap, and both defeat and victory feel hollow, as if you were participating in the game rather than actively controlling it.

Other contemporary games in the genre had a sense of scope around your character; for instance, you could keep a distance from opponents' attacks, counter attack when you spotted a move coming or block appropriately if they took you by surprise. There is no such feeling here. You will soon find yourself pulling off moves and hoping in the blind hope that they work, rather than timing your uppercuts and leg sweeps with any sense of certainty.

I tried hard not to mention Street Fighter 2 in this article, but the comparison will always be there, particularly when looking back on that gaming era. Capcom made a classic and this feels like a cheap knock-off in comparison. Whilst other beat-'em-ups offered something fresh to the genre, there is nothing here in any of the World Heroes Anthology that you haven't seen before, except that it's been done here worse. So much worse. Only a true fan of the series could consider buying this compilation. If you need the retro action spend the cash on SNK Arcade Classics, which at least gives a more balanced offer of what was available on the Neo Geo console.